T'Mir's Story
by Oldguy73
Summary: This is a challenge story: T'Pol meets her ancestor, Mestral
1. Chapter 1

T'MIRS STORY

By Oldguy 73

Challenge from Linda: Silverbullet, what about jumping ahead from Mestral's first year on earth, to his last year. He is dying and he manages to contact T'Mir's descendant, T'Pol. He wants her to visit and tell him what happened to his old shipmates. Is either of them still alive? Did their time on earth affect their lives on Vulcan? As they lived their lives out on Vulcan, did they see anything in human culture which they favorably compared to things in Vulcan culture? How did Mestral manage if he did not marry again after Maggie died? Did Maggie's son's descendants help him? And Mestral wants T'Pol to help wind up his affairs so his presence on earth remains a secret. How does she accomplish that and why did he want his presence still kept a secret?

Author's note: My thanks to my beta, Dinah.

That night after leaving Carbon Creek and returning to their home, T'Pol lay in bed wondering what had happened to Mestral. After Maggie died, where had he been? What had he done?

"I would be pleased to know what happened to Mestral."

"You read what was on the crypt," said Trip.

"Yes, but all that said was that he married Maggie, they had a happy life, and no children."

"He left a message for us."

"But I wonder if he put down what he had learned of Humans? If he did, where did he put it? There is so much I would like to know. But he is in the past."

"Where is Daniels when you need him?" laughed Trip

"Where, indeed."

T'Pol thought about Daniels. She knew that he had often showed up to meet with Archer. She wondered if Archer had a way of contacting Daniels. If he did, could he do that and see if Daniels would be willing to talk with T'Pol? She had a request for him. She was not sure he would go along with it, but it was worth trying. She would call Archer in the morning.

The next morning she comm'd Archer.

"Jon, are you busy?"

"Never too busy for you."

"I have a request, but I have to be circumspect about it. I hope you will know what I am talking about."

"First, how are you doing? We miss you in Star Fleet."

"I am happy. I would not trade my life now. My husband and children are the most important things for me. I do not miss space or Starfleet as I first thought I would."

"Okay, but if you ever change your mind, your old rank and your position as Science Officer on _Enterprise_ are waiting for you."

"There is something I want to ask you."

"Go ahead.

"Have you heard from our friend Daniels lately?"

"No, not in some time."

"I would like to speak with him. Do you have his comm code? Could you call him and ask if he could meet with me?"

"Yes, I can get in contact with him, but I hate to bother him."

"This is of some importance to me."

"What is it about?"

"It is something I would rather not talk about over the comm."

"Okay, it is a private matter?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to have him come to you or would you rather meet in my office?"

"Here, if possible."

"Let me try to contact him. If I do, I will ask him to drop by your home. Is that all right?"

"Yes, thank you Jon. If you cannot contact him or if he cannot come here, let me know."

"Well, if he shows up, you will know I succeeded. If he doesn't, you will know that I could not get in contact with him or he is too busy to meet you."

"I would still like you to let me know, if you would."

"I will. Kiss the kids for me."

T'Pol waited for Archer to say something about Trip, but knew he wouldn't. He never forgave Trip for winning her.

"I will. Tell them it is from Uncle Jon."

"Good-bye."

"Goodbye, Jon."

T'Pol busied herself with her chores. The children were in school and Trip was at work. Suddenly Daniels appeared in front of her.

"Archer says you want to speak with me."

"You startled me. Yes, I would like to ask a favor of you."

"What favor?"

"I would like you to take me back in time to find Mestral so I can talk with him. I want to know what had happened to him. Did he remarry? Did he write down his findings about Humans? Things of that nature. I will understand if your superiors will not allow you to do it."

"The Temporal Patrol is indebted to you and your husband. We always will be. I asked my superiors before I came here if I could grant anything you asked, and they said yes, by all means. We can never repay the two of you."

T'Pol was puzzled by his statement but said nothing.

"Do you know where you want to meet Mestral?"

"I have no idea where he has been or where he was when he died. I will have to follow his tracks somehow."

"Wait, I will be back."

T'Pol blinked and then heated a cup of tea and waited.

Daniels reappeared. "He is in a Tibetan monastery. I will take you to him shortly before his death."

"That will be agreeable."

"You must not tell him anything of what has happened on Earth since his death or to humanity. He may do something to change time."

"Can I tell him about Vulcan and the Vulcans? Can I tell him I am married to a Human and have children who are half-Human, half-Vulcan?

"Yes, because there is nothing he could do to change that."

"How long will I be gone?"

"I will bring you back about five minutes after you leave on your time travel. We don't want to set up a paradox."

"So soon?

"I was just gone for a few minutes time here but it took me months to track him down in the past. We will not go to where I had been looking for him or at the time I was looking for him. Again, I don't want to set up a paradox."

"That will be fine. I will be back when the children come home from school."

"Are you ready?"

"Should I change into Vulcan robes?"

"No, the monks will meet you, and you should be in Human clothing."

"Then I am ready."

"Good, I will be with you but invisible. When you are finished, I will bring you back here."

T'Pol found herself standing in front of a Tibetan monastery. She walked towards it. There was a rope which she thought, if pulled, would bring someone to the door. She pulled it. She heard a gong ring. The door soon opened and a monk in saffron robes stood in the doorway.

"He spoke, but T'Pol did not understand the language.

"May I see Mestral?" she said in Standard English

"Mestral? Are you a friend or relative?"

"A relative," she lied. She was sure that a relative would be shown in but a friend might not.

"Come in. I will take you to him."

The monk led the way to a small cell. He knocked on the door and when it opened, he said, "A relative to see you, Mestral."

Mestral peered out of the door. He looked at T'Pol. She was standing behind the monk, so she gave him the traditional hand greeting of Vulcan.

"Thank you," he said to the monk. "Come in," he said to T'Pol.

Mestral closed the door to his cell and turned.

"Live long and prosper," said T'Pol in Vulcan

"You are Vulcan? Did a Vulcan ship land? Did they scan first and discover me?"

"No"

"Did a Vulcan ship crash? Did you discover me with a scan before you crashed?'

"No"

"How did you get here then?"

"You would not believe me."

"Why not?"

"I came from the future to speak with you."

"Time travel is impossible."

T'Pol was about to say something when Daniels appeared.

"She is telling you the truth. I am her guide from the future." Then he disappeared.

Mestral stared in disbelief at the place where Daniels had been.

"Do you believe me now?"

"I don't know what to believe. It must be true if I am not having a hallucination."

"You are awake and sane."

"Why are you here?"

"I came to ask you some questions."

"Questions?"

"Yes. What have you been doing since Maggie died? Where did you travel? How did you keep from being discovered?"

"How do you know about Maggie?"

"I know many things."

"Do you know what happened to my shipmates, T-Mir and Ston?"

"Yes"

"If you will answer some questions for me, I will tell what you want to know."

"What questions?"

"What happened to T'Mir? Ston?"

"Then you will answer my questions?" T'Pol asked.

"Agreed. You know what happened to T'Mir?"

"Yes, T'Mir was my second foremother. She crashed at Carbon Creek with you."

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

T-Mir's Story

Chapter 2

By Oldguy73

"After T'Mir left Earth and returned to Vulcan, she prepared a lengthy report on her time on Earth," T'Pol said. "She again reported that you had died in the crash and were cremated. The report, along with the Earth clothes she and Ston brought back with them, was put into the Museum at the Ministry of Science. T'Mir put herself in danger because of you. Had it been found out that you had stayed on Earth with her help, she would have been tried, convicted, cashiered and imprisoned. She may have also been asked to take the most sacred oath a Vulcan can take, an oath to tell the truth. If she had admitted that you stayed on Earth, she would have been tried. Had she lied, her katra would have been cast in darkness for eternity when she died. She would be denied the light of the hereafter and being with those most important to her."

"I did not think of those things when I chose to stay on Earth," Mestral said.

"You should have. She was a brave woman to risk so much for you."

"What else?"

"She had learned things on Earth, things that were not part of Vulcan traditions or customs. She had learned that the individual was just as important as society and that personal choice was an option. She learned that a female did not have to be subservient to a male and that a male dominated society was not always the best. Equality, even on a limited basis, was better."

"Go on."

"She was betrothed when she left Vulcan, and the male she was betrothed to did not have the betrothal severed. When it was feared that her ship had been lost and perhaps she was dead, he decided to wait until there was official confirmation."

"That is logical."

"She met a male whom she became enamored with, and she found that she cared a great deal for him. They became very close, although her Vulcan upbringing prevented her from letting it go beyond the bounds of morality."

"That must have been a problem for her."

"It was. When it came time for her marriage, she declared a death match. Her champion was victorious. She was free of her betrothal obligation and free to marry her love."

"Love?"

"Yes," T'Pol replied, "that is something she had learned on Earth from talking to Maggie. She discovered that there was a deeper emotion than mere fondness. She had seen it among Humans. Not always but often. She saw it in how Human parents treated their children: giving them comfort, caring for them and even sacrificing for them. Maggie showed her that in her treatment of Jack; Maggie was willing to do anything to help Jack get into college. Jack was not expected to be alone as a Vulcan child would be – to be tested to the limits while still too young. T-Mir could not change Vulcan customs but she could change the way she accepted them. She did not betroth her children. She offered them a mother's love as an Earth woman would. It did not harm her children or make them any less Vulcan or unable to do what was expected of them."

"Interesting."

"T'Mir had a successful career, was respected and was something of an authority on Humans, who was consulted often. She seemed to have had a happy life with the male she had chosen as her champion. They had four children, all of whom are alive today. T'Mir died sometime before I was born. I never met her, but she did leave me the handbag she brought from Earth. That she did not put in the Science Museum."

"What happened to Ston?"

"Since he was a warp engineer, he applied for a new ship. There were no scientific or survey ships available, so he was assigned to a battle cruiser.

"While on patrol, the battle cruiser received a distress call from a Vulcan passenger liner," T'Pol continued. "It was being pursued by three Orion marauder slavers. The liner said the slavers were slowly gaining on them. Because both were traveling at warp speed, the slavers could not transport aboard the liner or transport anyone off the liner.

"The Vulcan cruiser sped on an intercept course at Warp 7. The cruiser arrived on the scene and positioned itself between the liner and the slavers. A fight started. The cruiser destroyed the two smaller slavers and then fought the largest one. When it gained superiority, it closed so the crewmen could board the slaver. The Vulcan cruiser had sustained some holes in its hull. As the cruiser was about to clamp onto the slaver, one last phase canon shot from the slaver went into a hole, penetrated the torpedo magazine and exploded the magazine, destroying the Vulcan ship and the slaver."

"Ston died in battle," Mestral said. "An honorable death."

"Ston had a wife and three children. They will be automatically entered into the High Command Academy. His wife will receive a pension for the rest of her life that will be adequate to meet her needs."

"But what about you, Mestral? What happened after your wife died?"

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

T-Mir's Story

Chapter 3

By Oldguy73

Author's note: Thanks to my beta, DinahD. Please read and review.

* * *

"After Maggie died, I was devastated," Mestral said to T'Pol. "I had not realized how much I relied on her. She made sure that nothing got in the way of our happiness. She was a good wife, a loving woman and a joy to me. You cannot believe what a smile from one you love so much means. She would smile sometimes from across the room to let me know she was there, and she cared."

"You missed her very much then?"

"I still miss her, every day. It probably is hard for a Vulcan to understand what such a love can be. We are a lonely people, as I have learned living here on Earth."

"Did you finally start to travel and study Humans now that you no longer had Maggie?"

"Yes, Greece. The Greek golden age fascinated me – how they discovered so much with nothing more than logic. They attempted to measure the distance from the Earth to the sun and the moon using sticks in the ground. They knew the Earth was round because they understood that a lunar eclipse was caused by the Earth moving between the moon and the sun; they could see that the Earth was round by its shadow. They were no fools. One individual actually developed the concept of the atom –crude, but the atom nevertheless. He stated that everything was made up of atoms and he was correct. Others conceived of the circulatory system of the blood. Even Aristotle made many discoveries, although he was responsible for holding up some learning for a thousand years. I stayed in Greece for several years soaking up a learned culture that disappeared along with much of its knowledge.

"Then I stayed in Italy for a while. The Romans were great engineers and wonderful organizers. They conquered so much because of their organizational skills. Their network of roadways was a wonder. But I never liked them as well as the Greeks."

"Both were warrior peoples," T'Pol said. "I too have gone to both areas but long after you did."

"The destruction of the Library of Alexandria was the most awful tragedy. So much learning lost. So many great works burned just because of a religious bigot who was a victorious general. He said that if the books in the library didn't exalt his God then they were useless and ordered his men to burn them all."

"A great loss, to be sure. Where else did you travel?"

"All over," Mestral replied. "There are many cultures to study on Earth. Many are quite ancient. I studied the different religions. I believe that religion is good, but it is misused by mankind. Too many use it for base ends. There has been too much death in its name. So many of them teach peace but are warlike in its hatred and intolerance of other beliefs. I am so thankful that Vulcan only has one belief system. It has saved our planet a great deal of pain and death."

"What are you doing here in this monastery?"

"After many years, I heard of the Tibetan monks who practiced meditation. I wanted to learn what they knew. I found peace here after all my years of travel and loneliness without Maggie."

"You keep talking about her. She must have been very special to you."

"It is unbelievable how one can come to love a Human –love in the sense that a Human uses it. Someone you love is more important than life itself. Maggie and Humans taught me that."

"I am married to a Human. I Love him in the same way you loved her."

"Do you ever wish you could have children? Maggie and I so much wanted a child."

"We have three: two boys and a girl."

"How?"

"I cannot reveal anything of the future to you. I have said too much already."

He seemed to accept that and didn't pursue the matter any further.

"Mestral, why did you leave that Vulcan Script on Maggie's crypt?" T'Pol asked. "Why leave a message for any future Human/Vulcan couple?"

"I wanted the Vulcans of the future to know how much I loved a Human woman and how much she loved me. I wanted them to know that Humans and Vulcans could marry and live a happy life."

"Your message meant a great deal to me and my husband."

"Then I am happy that I did it."

"But why leave the message at Carbon Creek? How could you be sure any Vulcans would see it?"

"You did."

"But T'Mir was my second foremother. I knew that she had crashed near Carbon Creek and had lived there for some months. I wanted my husband to see the crypt and the Vulcan script."

"I hope you told other Vulcans to visit it."

"Why didn't you remarry? You were not that old when Maggie died."

"No one could replace Maggie. I did meet some Human women who were interesting but none of them would have accepted me as a non Human. Maggie was unique. I was so lucky to find her. She once said that I had come all the way from Vulcan to find her. After she died I began to think that some fate had wanted us to meet and marry. Even if the captain died. It is selfish I know."

"How did you handle your Pon Farr?"

"Maggie was so good about it. She knew when I was going into it. She was ready and kept me from growing violent. By the time she died, my Pon Farrs were waning and I could control them with deep meditation. I have not experienced it in decades."

"Now you just meditate?"

"Yes, I find great peace in this monastery. The monks don't ask questions and take me as a disciple. I have my cell. I go out and beg for my food and eat what I receive."

"Even meat?"

"I have learned to eat many things on Earth, things that I would have never considered on Vulcan."

"You seem to have become more Human than Vulcan."

"I no longer consider that a bad thing. This is now my planet and Humans are my people, although nothing can change that I am a Vulcan physically."

"You seem happy and content. I hope that what I told you about T'Mir and Ston satisfied you. I wish I could stay longer, but I must return now. Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Yes. The monks will do as I ask after I die, so my secret of being a Vulcan will be safe. However, if I write down my journal and tell you where I intend to hide it, will you see that it gets to the Ministry of Science? It may help Vulcans understand Humans better. I only wish I could leave a journal that would help Humans understand Vulcans better."

"Yes, of course I would be honored. Just tell me the location and I will find it, but you must hide it in a way it will not accidentally be found."

"Come with me, if you have the time?"

"Yes, I have some time left."

Mestral took T'Pol outside the monastery. He pointed to a cliff in the distance. I have arranged for a landslide to fall. I will put the journal where it will be at the bottom of the slide. Will you be able to retrieve it?"

"Yes. I will look for it when I return."

"Then this is good-bye. Thank you for your visit. I am happy that T'Mir had a good life and did not suffer because she allowed me to stay here. I grieve for Ston."

"Goodbye, Mestral."

Mestral then smiled. "I have learned to smile too. It is a very pleasant Human expression."

Daniels, who had been waiting, appeared by T'Pol's side for an instant and then they both disappeared.

T'Pol eventually travelled to Tibet and retrieved the journal. She took it back to her home to study it before sending it to Vulcan. Mestral had indeed learned much about Humans, things that T'Pol had yet to learn. She wondered if she might someday smile, too.

Finis


End file.
